Lonzo Ball will perform in Lithuania next summer, for some reason

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball (2) signals to a teammate during an offensive possession against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The Ball family has become omnipresent in Lithuania. LiAngelo and LaMelo’s fame has extended beyond the basketball court. They’ve become celebrities pursued by paparazzi. Lavar is now a part-time assistant coach for Vytautas Prienai. Now they’ve begun encroaching on the music realm.

At Thursday night’s M.A.M.A. Awards, the Lithuanian Grammy analogue, Lavar made a bizarre appearance. While initially flexing the Lithuanian he’d practiced on his Rosetta Stone, Lavar began making an uncomfortable double entendre out of his last name as the camera panned to the quizzical and bemused faces of artists in attendance.

Lavar, forever the showman, milked the spotlight for all it was worth, before introducing a pre-recorded video showing Lonzo in the booth and cruising in a convertible while announcing that he’d be joining his brothers in Lithuania this summer–to hold his first rap concert.

Under the alias, Zo, Lonzo has released two tracks thus far in his nascent career, but has yet to drop an album. He’ll need to get to work if he wants to stage his own concert. Lonzo has also missed 10 games in the last month, which has given him more time to concentrate on his music and potentially produce a few more tracks.

There’s much to unpack here. For one, how much of an audience is there for SoundCloud rappers in Lithuania? Lonzo is currently nursing a sore knee, but is expected to return to the lineup any day now. Meanwhile, the Ball family’s transformation into the Lithuanian Lyon family is nearly complete.